Salesforce

Salesforce

Automate customer relationship management, sales, marketing, service, and data integration for businesses

Salesforce Overview

Salesforce.com is a leading cloud-based CRM platform that leverages AI to integrate customer data from various sources on a unified system. It offers tools for sales, marketing, customer service, analytics, and automation, including custom dashboards, case routing, and AI agents.

Designed for businesses of all sizes, it helps grow revenue, enhance customer relationships, and streamline operations efficiently.

Key Features

  • Integrated Platform: Unites sales, service, marketing, commerce, and IT teams on one platform with a single, shared view of the customer to attract prospects, close deals, and strengthen relationships.
  • Holistic Customer View: Empowers employees to deliver personalized experiences with a comprehensive view of every customer interaction across sales, service, marketing, commerce, and more.
  • AI Capabilities: Increases productivity and revenue with trusted AI grounded in your data, allowing customization of autonomous AI agents to support employees and customers in tasks like lead follow-up, marketing campaigns, and case resolution.
  • Customized Tools: Provides fully integrated, tailored tools with a full view of business data, enabling service reps to identify sales opportunities, merchants to resolve issues, and marketers to upsell dynamically.
  • Industry-Specific Solutions: Offers CRM solutions built on over 25 years of experience, addressing industry-specific needs for sectors like healthcare, retail, high tech, and the public sector.
  • Cloud-Based Accessibility: Delivers applications over the internet as a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform, with Salesforce handling hosting and maintenance, reducing costs and responsibilities related to CRM infrastructure and security.
  • Scalability and Customization: Designed to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes, stages, and industries, offering enterprise CRM options as well as solutions for small businesses and startups.
  • Ease of Use: Features an intuitive interface with conversational AI for interaction, supported by Trailhead, a free online learning platform for skill development, certifications, and career opportunities.
  • Contact Management: Includes tools for managing customer contacts to enhance relationship building.
  • Collaboration Tools: Integrates collaboration features like Slack to improve team communication and coordination.
  • Automation: Offers automation for customer-centric processes, enhancing productivity and efficiency across sales, service, and marketing.
  • Analytics and Reporting: Provides actionable analytics and data dashboards for informed decision-making and performance tracking.
  • Integration: Enables sharing of data across internal and external applications, supported by Salesforce’s MuleSoft for connected experiences, and includes AppExchange for custom app integration.
  • Mobile Accessibility: Ensures cloud-based access to CRM features from anywhere, enhancing flexibility for users.
  • Sales Cloud: Empowers sales teams to sell faster and smarter with data from any source and built-in trusted AI, improving productivity and deal closure.
  • Marketing Cloud: Helps manage and optimize marketing efforts with automation and personalization across email, social media, mobile messaging, advertising, and web channels, utilizing customer data for retention and revenue growth.
  • Service Cloud: Supports customer service interactions with proactive and efficient solutions, integrated with other CRM functions for a unified customer view.
  • Commerce Cloud: Enhances commerce operations, resolving service issues and upselling dynamically, integrated within the CRM ecosystem.
  • Data Cloud: Provides a single source of truth with up-to-date customer information, strengthening relationships at every point of the customer lifecycle.
  • Security: Offers trusted security measures as part of the cloud-based CRM, ensuring data protection and compliance.

Price

Plan Name Price (USD, per user/month, billed annually) Key Features
Starter Suite $25 Simplified setup and onboarding, Lead/Account/Contact/Opportunity management, Email integration
Pro Suite $100 Includes Starter features plus forecast management, customizable reports & dashboards, quoting and contracting tools
Enterprise $175 All Pro features, plus advanced pipeline management, deal insights, conversation intelligence, and Agentforce features
Unlimited $350 All Enterprise features, plus predictive AI, full sales engagement, premier success plan, and full sandbox environments
Agentforce 1 Sales $550 Includes Unlimited features plus full AI suite, Salesforce Spiff, Sales Planning, Sales Programs, Salesforce Maps, Tableau Next, Slack Enterprise+, and 1M Flex + 2.5M Data Cloud credits/year

Pricing details: https://www.salesforce.com/sales/pricing/

Pros

Competitor

Pros of Salesforce

HubSpot Salesforce surpasses HubSpot with its robust customization, advanced AI-driven analytics, and scalability for large enterprises. Its extensive ecosystem, including AppExchange, offers thousands of integrations, enhancing functionality for complex workflows.

Customer reviews praise Salesforce’s comprehensive reporting and forecasting tools, ideal for businesses needing in-depth insights, unlike HubSpot’s simpler, marketing-focused platform tailored for smaller teams.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Salesforce excels over Microsoft Dynamics 365 with superior customization and a vast third-party app ecosystem, enabling tailored workflows without heavy configuration.

Its intuitive reporting and broader integration options make it more versatile for diverse industries. Reviews highlight Salesforce’s ease of use and scalability, offering a more adaptable solution compared to Dynamics’ Microsoft-centric integration focus.

Zoho CRM Salesforce outperforms Zoho CRM with its advanced data model and AI capabilities, supporting complex enterprise needs. Its scalability and industry-specific solutions make it ideal for large organizations, while Zoho’s simpler design suits smaller businesses.

Customer feedback emphasizes Salesforce’s robust analytics and customization, providing deeper insights and flexibility compared to Zoho’s limited high-end functionality.

Oracle CRM Salesforce offers greater out-of-the-box functionality and a larger integration ecosystem via AppExchange, making it more accessible for businesses of all sizes. Its user-friendly interface and features like email signatures and call reminders enhance productivity.

Reviews note Salesforce’s versatility and ease of use, contrasting with Oracle’s complex setup and ERP-focused integration, which may require technical expertise.

Pipedrive Salesforce provides a broader feature set beyond Pipedrive’s sales pipeline focus, including advanced automation, marketing, and service integration. Its customization depth and analytics capabilities support growing enterprises effectively.

Customer reviews favor Salesforce for its comprehensive CRM tools and scalability, offering more robust solutions for deal management and productivity compared to Pipedrive’s streamlined, sales-only approach.

Cons

Competitor

Cons of Salesforce.com

HubSpot Salesforce’s high cost (starting at $25/user/month, escalating to $550 for Agentforce) and complex setup can overwhelm small businesses, unlike HubSpot’s affordable plans (free to $30/user/month) and intuitive interface.

Customer reviews note Salesforce’s steep learning curve and lengthy implementation, making HubSpot’s simplicity and built-in marketing tools more appealing for smaller teams seeking quick deployment.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Salesforce’s pricing, with add-ons inflating costs ($25-$550/user/month), can exceed Microsoft Dynamics 365’s more predictable plans ($50-$210/user/month). Its integration with Microsoft Office is less seamless, impacting Microsoft-centric organizations.

Reviews highlight Dynamics’ clearer pricing and native compatibility, noting Salesforce’s complexity and potential for higher total cost of ownership as drawbacks.

Zoho CRM Salesforce’s premium pricing ($25-$550/user/month) and intricate interface contrast with Zoho CRM’s affordability ($14-$52/user/month) and ease of use, making it less suitable for small businesses.

Customer feedback points to Salesforce’s resource-intensive setup and training needs, while Zoho offers quicker implementation and budget-friendly plans for teams avoiding complex enterprise features.

Oracle CRM Salesforce lacks Oracle CRM’s strengths in territory and compensation planning, often requiring additional customizations. Its standalone CRM focus may not integrate as tightly with ERP systems, unlike Oracle’s unified platform.

Reviews suggest Oracle’s specialized analytics and ERP connectivity outshine Salesforce for businesses needing integrated finance and sales operations, highlighting Salesforce’s complexity as a drawback.

Pipedrive Salesforce’s higher costs ($25-$550/user/month) and complexity overshadow Pipedrive’s affordable plans ($14-$129/user/month) and simple interface, challenging small teams needing rapid adoption.

Customer reviews criticize Salesforce’s steep learning curve and setup time, favoring Pipedrive’s focused sales tools and quick deployment for businesses prioritizing ease of use over extensive features.

Customers' Reviews From Reliable Websites